One of the awesome things about getting chosen as an artist for this commission was getting to amplify positive things about Mattapan by spending time with and talking to the people who live there. For the research part of my practice, I got a tour of Mattapan from the youth at The Violence Intervention Program (VIP) housed at Mattapan Community Health Center. Plus, every Mattapan resident who volunteered to be a model for the artwork allowed me to interview them. The images below are photographs I took as reference for the artwork.... and I'd also like to think of them as byproducts of good conversation.

*All photographs are taken by Chanel Thervil, unless otherwise noted.

Meet Ahlana: One of the seven Mattapan residents featured in the artwork.

CT: What do you wish more people knew about Mattapan?

Ahlana: "I wish more people knew about all of the men and women who put their lives on the line to make Mattapan a better, cleaner, safer place. "

CT: How has living in Mattapan effected you?

Ahlana: "I am Mattapan. Everything I know, I have learned either in, from or for my community. It has made me who I am. It has made me stronger and tougher than almost anybody!"